Police urged to 'shoot, kill'
2003-11-09 13:15
Johannesburg - Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has urged members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to shoot to kill when attacked.
Nqakula was speaking at the launch of the police death grant fund in KwaMashu township at the weekend.
The grant is aimed at compensating dependents of police officers who die in the line of duty.
Nqakula urged communities to provide information on the killing of police officers.
However his call was criticised by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
"Police commissioner Jackie Selebi has called on the community to protect officers from assaults and killings, following a 7.9% increase in the number of police killed in 2002 and 2003, and yet his political bosses have repeatedly refused assistance in this regard," said DA chief whip Douglas Gibson.
Nqakula's spokesperson Puti Setati was not available for comment.
Nqakula told hundreds of people who had gathered at the indoor sports centre in KwaMashu that R200 000 would be paid to families of deceased police officers.
KwaMashu was chosen as the venue to launch the grant, as it is one of the townships with the highest rate of police murders.
"If we can't defend ourselves from criminals, then how are we going to defend the community?" asked Nqakula.
"A criminal who points a gun at you or goes to the police station to hold everyone at ransom, such a person doesn't deserve to live. So don't hesitate, take your gun and kill that person because the community will lose confidence in us," said Nqakula.
Gibson said if the government was serious about combating crime, it should first address the shortage of police personnel. He said it needed to recruit 150 000 trained and active cops.
"We say the government must inform SAPS members about changes to legislation which affect the use of force while in action. It must provide psychological services to members and make debriefings compulsory whenever a station member is murdered," said Gibson.
He said the government should prioritise investigations into police murders by having a specialised unit in the office of the provincial commissioner, and have stricter bail conditions for suspected police killers.